Violence ravages Shia group in Pakistan

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted in TechNews on Jan 25, 2014

I was on Skype with my four-year-old nephew when he asked, “Is 200 a large amount?” I smiled and said, “Yes, why are you asking?” He looked at me with his innocent eyes and said, “Lilen, Mama was just telling her friend that until now more than 200 people have died in the last three massive blasts. We will also die if we say 'Ya Ali’.”

This kid’s question left me speechless; all I could remember was my childhood where we had no idea of what dying meant. What does being Sunni or Shia mean? All we knew was that we have to live, play, eat and sleep. The biggest fear we had was our parents scolding us and the most unsafe place for us was standing on the edge of a roof. But now we have to tell our kids that this country is not a safe place to live.

My heart goes out to all those families who lost their loved ones in these inhumane acts; it changed everything in an instant forever. Nothing would be the same for them anymore. On January 21, once again the Heaven gained 22 souls and the reason for their death was just that either they were Shia or they were living in a Shia dominated area.

Whenever I hear about someone’s death, all which revive in my mind is the moment when I lost my eldest brother forever. He was suffering from cancer and we all knew somewhere in our mind that he would leave us one day but we were still not prepared for his death. I wonder about those people who were sitting and having a good family time and all of a sudden just in one blow all was gone. A bomb doesn’t know who it kills. It doesn’t discriminate on basis of religion or anything; it just kills. Then why do we have to discriminate?

I’m tired of this violence; I'm tired of the pain and still can’t help it. I'm tired of being on the road, lonely as a robin in the rain. I want to run away from all this but will it bring a change in my society? I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. It aches like pieces of glass in my body; it feels like scars on the soul of humanity. I'm tired of all the times I've wanted to help and couldn't. I want to do something at least that would bring a little hope to people who lost their families, their friends, their whole lives and have torn apart in just a second. I'm tired of being in the dark of this ruthless war of ethnicity. Mostly it's all about the pain. There's too much that words can’t explain. If I could end it, I would have but there is no hope for humanity. I wonder what can relieve these people, what can change their fate. How would a Sunni feel if they are asked to change their sect just because Shia doesn’t like it? If they never question us about our beliefs then why do we have to question them? In fact, we don’t even ask them, we just kill them.

I believe a society that accepts mass killing as norm, indeed is a "Dead Society." It pinches me to accept this bitter truth about my society. Every day, dozens are butchered amongst us but it has no effect on our social lives. We still manage to party around and forget to give a thought to such people who have lost their loved one. Spare a thought for victims of Mastung tragedy blast as you start your life peacefully tomorrow.

If that thought provokes you a bit then help people. Not much but at least volunteer at Edhi Centers by donating blood or volunteer your time. It’s not much; it’s actually nothing, it won’t cure their pain nor it will help them sleep but it is the least we can do until it’s us or until the next time the whole world shakes up and crumbles. My country bleeds again and I mourn, I mourn for its fate, its destiny and its people.

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